Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “In Italian” Triptych.
During the preview of the MoMA Design Store’s new spring arrivals several weeks ago, I enjoyed touring the new offerings with Chay Costello, the assistant director of merchandising for the store. I was impressed with how knowledgeable she was about all of the products, not a surprise given the staff in charge of acquiring new goods for the three Manhattan stores serve as testers for the wares to ensure that the quality of each item lives up to manufacturers’ claims. I asked her to give adroyt’s readers a bit of intel about the process they undertake:
“When we contemplate bringing a product into our store, even before we review it with our curators, a member of our team tests it. If it’s an ice cube mold, we make the ice cubes and use them in a drink. I tested The Porthole infuser and brought peach vodka in for the team to test. If it’s a coaster we try it out on our own coffee tables at home. For bags, we wear them around—I product-tested the flip and tumble during the London trade shows; and, because I’m a loose-leaf tea enthusiast, I tested all tea infusers on the list. Steven and Michelle actually use their knives; and we put water in vases to ensure they hold the liquid (in one memorable case, it did not!). Seok-hee and Moon have more apps on their phones than anyone else in the world because they have to test all of their products. At the most basic level, a product must do what it is suppose to do and work well. It must survive the rigors of testing before we consider it for our stores.”
The Porthole Infuser by Crucial Detail, designed in 2011.
This explains to me why I rarely find anything I don’t lust after in the museum’s shops. It was the same with these newest releases I saw that evening, a mix of home goods, fashion accessories, tools, jewelry, purses, avant-garde tech products, electronics, furniture and art. For those of you secretly planning your musical act for the subway platforms, they’ve got you covered—the Seaboard Grand Stage keyboard, designed by Roland Lamb, is super chic with its black silicon surface. You can thank me for the tip when you’re famous and I won’t even ask for a cut of your copious coinage!
One trend I spotted that evening was quite interesting given our fast-paced, technologically advanced times. It was nostalgia. Remember the plaid lunchbox and thermos duo that proliferated in school cafeterias during the 1970s? There it was, rereleased, front and center! Several Frank Lloyd Wright iPhone cases were fabulous nods to an earlier time, and the Casio Digital Calculator watch is back—just when you thought it was safe to admit you grew up in the 70s! Another trend was the trickling down of goods made with 3D Printing systems. I had been wondering how long it would take them to reach the retail sector. There was a fabulous 3D-printed rocking chair among the offerings that I featured on Productrazzi if you want to take a peek.
The Kikkerland Tea Leaf Infuser.
Two of the coolest things I saw that evening were two triptychs covered with imagery from paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat. The collaboration between The Skateroom and Basquiat’s estate is a nod to the fact that the legendary artist made a name for himself on the streets of New York City long before he rose to stardom as one of Andy Warhol’s darlings. Tagging under the name SAMO©, he serves as an influencer of graffiti artists to this day. Each set of three skate decks—one titled Skull that features images from an untitled work from 1981 and the other titled In Italian that holds images from the 1983 painting of the same name—is made in France of 7-ply Canadian maple. The Skateroom is a platform that promotes, sells and produces art on skateboards to support youth-empowering organizations.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s “Skull” Triptych.
Stop in one of the MoMA Design Stores to see all the new offerings for yourself. These debuting products are yet another sign that design is on fire in 2015, and I say, “Oh, what fun it is to be a design writer in these remarkable times!” Did you know that the Museum of Modern Art has an app for iPhone, iPad and other iOS devices that enhances visits to the museum? I didn’t until I began digging around for intel for this post. I’m downloading it from the app store before my next trip to the Mecca of modern art.
It’s a big week for posting here on adroyt and on Productrazzi, where we will post about Graham & Brown’s introductions at the Heimtextil trade show in Frankfurt on Tuesday and a fun pop-up shop in London staged by Antiques Young Guns on Wednesday. Stop back by here on Friday when we present new introductions by Brizo just in time for Jason Wu’s runway shows to take to the catwalks during #MBFW next week. In the coming weeks we have reviews of a gallery exhibition at a Maine design school and new product launches celebrating the Chinese New Year. Don’t look now: it must be design season!
Text of MoMA Design Store Spring Debuts © Saxon Henry, all rights reserved. Saxon Henry is the EIC of Global Trends, the founder of the Literary Blog to Book Movement, and author of Home of the Brave and Four Florida Moderns. She is also the publisher of Productrazzi and adroyt, as well as a new media strategist based in New York City.
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